After being sidelined by the pandemic in 2020, the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY, will return June 26 and 27 with an all-star lineup.
The Saturday, June 26, performers will be: vocalist Dianne Reeves, bassist Christian McBride’s New Jawn, pianist Joey Alexander, and the Hot Club of Saratoga. On Sunday, June 27, the lineup will be vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant, Artemis, guitarist Al De Meola, and local singer/songwriter Garland Nelson and his group, Joyful Noise.
Pianist Renee Rosnes’ all-female septet, Artemis, was the cover story in the March 2021 issue of Jersey Jazz Magazine and was voted Mid-Sized Ensemble of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association. The band will be introducing its newest member, tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover.
Alexander, the jazz “prodigy” from Indonesia (pictured above), will turn 17 on June 25, the day before his festival performance. His latest album, Warna, is his first on the Verve label. Released in 2020, it features Alexander’s original compositions, and, according to National Public Radio’s Tom Moon, they “have broadly singable, surprisingly approachable melodies and grooves that slide and saunter far from typical swing.”
In accordance with New York State guidelines for large events and gatherings, this year’s festival will be different from past gatherings:
- All performances will take place in the amphitheater.
- All seating will be in social-distanced pods of one, two, or four people.
- Ticket availability will be extremely limited.
Updated Guidelines: Proof of vaccination or negative Covid-19 test results are no longer required for entry. Temperature checks and health screenings will not be required for entry. Masks are only required for unvaccinated guests per Federal CDC guidelines.
Artemis’s performance is presented by the Skidmore Jazz Institute, and Hot Club of Saratoga and Garland Nelson are presented by Caffe Lena.
For more information, log onto www.saratoga.com/summer/jazz-festival/ or call (518) 584-9330, ext. 135.
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PHOTO BY JOE TRUAX